Wednesday, August 13, 2014

John Jackson: Dallas news says allegations against Cameron Todd Willingham arson case prosecutor John Jackson must be examined.


EDITORIAL: "Allegations against prosecutor in arson case must be examined," published by the Dallas News on August 4, 2014.

GIST:  "The new grievance filed with the bar pulls back more layers on this tortured case. It asserts a yearlong cover-up by Jackson about his dealings with Webb. It also charges that Jackson worked through a wealthy philanthropist-rancher, Charles Pearce Jr., now deceased, to keep Webb quiet about his role in the case. Webb told the Innocence Project that he got regular monthly payments plus a truck from the benefactor, according to the grievance. The Willingham case has reeked ever since Innocence Project lawyers filed a complaint with the Texas Forensic Science Commission in 2006, attacking the conclusions of arson investigators that Willingham set the fatal fire in his Corsicana home. The commission’s final report in the matter said investigators had relied on outmoded practices and standards in concluding and then testifying that the fire was intentionally set. In the absence of an unassailable finding of arson, the credibility of the Willingham execution relies in part on the assertion of Willingham’s alleged jailhouse confession. If that’s hogwash, too, it will be painful but important for the public to hear. As long as Texans support the death penalty in overwhelming numbers, it’s vital that they know how thin a line of defense there is to the possibility of fatal error."

The entire editorial can be found at:
http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/20140804-editorial-state-bar-must-examine-allegations-against-cameron-todd-willingham-prosecutor.ece

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: 

Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.
 
I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses several thousand posts. The search box is located  near the bottom of the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and myself get more out of the site.

The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:

http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith

Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
 
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2013/12/the-charles-smith-award-presented-to_28.html
 
I look forward to hearing from readers at:

hlevy15@gmail.com.

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;